New Pipe Smoker/Lighting Question

[grumpybear]

Hello everyone, I am a new pipe smoker. My girlfriend got me a pipe and some tobacco for Christmas and I am trying to relax and enjoy it but have found a few problems. I am not sure that I fully understand the lighting process. I have read that you should not over heat the tobacco and when smoking to keep it barely lit. That makes sense to me. However, in every youtube video I watch on how to light a pipe it seems they are lighting it until its very hot. My question is am I supossed to light it until it is all glowing or just enough to get it barely lit? Also any tips on slowing down and proper breathing would be great.
Edit: Please check rule 9 of the PM forum rules regarding capitalization. Thanks for being a member. ~Cosmic

 

[Chasing Embers]

When you first light, there's going to be lots of smoke, but that's just to get an even light. As for breathing, here's a video I did a while back.
https://youtu.be/Jw8R7mxECvY

 

[grumpybear]

Thank you.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Lighting and smoking are both made easier when the tobacco is dried down significantly before loading.

 

[grumpybear]

How do you dry out your tobacco?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Thank you.

Very welcome. Just remember it's all about practice. It can take months and years to get right. I've been smoking a pipe for nearly thirty years, and am still learning new things.

 

[Chasing Embers]

How do you dry out your tobacco?

You can microwave it for 8-10 seconds or lay it out on a paper towel until it feels dry. Some prefer it not to be crunchy, but I find it more flavorful like that.

 

[grumpybear]

I will try drying some out tomorrow. I am also having problems getting flavor. I mostly taste ash and every so often get a taste cherry. That taste keeps me trying for more.

 

[sablebrush52]

You want to get the top of your tobacco charred, then lightly tamped, at the beginning. Some smokers do what is called a "charring light" whereby they char the top layer of tobacco and then lightly tamp it down before performing a second light to begin smoking the bowl. A nice layer of ash over the coal helps hold the heat. Puff to get your tobacco lit, then sip, like sipping scotch or sipping a milkshake through a straw. Slow sips to draw the smoke into your mouth. If you can, ease the smoke slowly out through your nose to pick up more flavors. Do this without inhaling.

The eventual goal is to be able to keep the tobacco simmering at the edge of going out, which extracts the greatest flavor from the smoke. This requires a successful combination of tobacco moisture, packing density, and sipping cadence. Practice will get you there. I find that drying out my tobacco until it is almost bone dry provides the greatest flavor. I don't take it all the way to crumbly because some flavors can be lost, but I dry it almost to that point so that it feels dry to the touch when squeezed betwixt thumb and forefinger, while still pliant.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

It seems the bases have been covered for the most part. So I'll only add this... It's going to take trial and error... and then more trial and error. And even when you've been at it long enough to no longer consider yourself a rookie, more trial and error. But seriously, follow the advise above and things will start to come together quite well. Before you know it you'll be smoking any blend like a pro and you'll be tasting hints of cocoa, anise, maple syrup, and Grandma's fried chicken, and every bowl will burn down on one light to a fine white ash. :mrgreen:
In all seriousness though. I'll add, you'll probably be relighting your pipe quite often, especially being new. But don't sweat it. It's actually a rarity to not have to relight at least three times. And also, sometimes you'll find the last 1/4th of the bowl just won't stay lit. In those cases, just dump it. It's probably not going to stay lit as it's likely full of tobacco juice and spit. Above all.... welcome to the forums, and welcome to a great past time/hobby/lifestyle/habit/money sucking beast. :mrgreen:

 

[Chasing Embers]

and Grandma's fried chicken

C&D Exhausted Rooster?

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

C&D Exhausted Rooster?

:rofl:

 

[thesmokindragon]

Welcome and you have some great advice here. I also have had a lot of new pipe smokers come to me with these types of questions. Now while those Aromatic blends sound great ( I can not smoke them myself ); Some of Boswell Aromatic Blends which are outstanding; Apple Streudel, Berry Cobbler, Cherry Smash, Chocolate Cream, Christmas Cookie, Cupcake, Maple leaf, Paradise, Peaches and Cream, etc. they usually are filled with moisture and PG ( Propylene glycol ) - which when you are a new pipe smoker makes the hobby even that much more frustrating because if you don't let the bacci dry properly it will never stay lit, then you start puffing away trying to keep it lit, which with moisture and PG loaded blends will only produce tasteless steam, which will then give you some nasty mouth burn and you will end up throwing the pipe across the room ( no, I never had this experience 20 years ago, hehe...yeah I did ). So again great advice here with letting the tobacco dry out, but also try some bulk blends so you can get a bunch of samples as well as getting some low cost MM cobs, so you can let briar pipes rest and build yourself a rotation.
Some tobacco suggestions that I started with ( and will give you some variety of blends ), but again this is "YOUR" journey so what I or others may suggest or like you may not; just remember the dry time and take your time and enjoy the experience
~ A&C Peterson Escudo Navy Deluxe; Escudo Navy Deluxe, is a popular Perique/Va. curly cut tobacco in large coin size.
~ Dunhill Flake; medium strength flake of selected grades of Lemon and Bronze Virginia
~ Solani Aged Burley Flake; A bold blend of dark fired burleys from Solani
~ Peterson University Flake; Mahogany, Burley, and Kentucky
~ Low Country Cooper; selected choice Orientals and Cyprian Latakia to accent a base of fine Bright Leaf and Red Virginia
~ Dunhill Nightcap; rich blend of Virginia and Latakia. Just prior to packing, Perique tobacco is added
Some others to go review and try out ; G.L. Pease blends, Cornell and Diehl blends
NOTE: Our member JimInks does outstanding tobacco reviews

 

[grumpybear]

Thanks for all the advice, my tounge needs a break from the pipe today, hopefully will try some of this tomorrow. It,s funny someone had told me to stay away from Latakia at first and try aromatic. So far what I have got the best taste from was Frog Morton, which was suprissing considering I did not like how it smelt in the tin. So far I only get little to no taste from aromatic. I am looking forward to experimenting with what I like and don't like.

 

[olkofri]

Aromatics are nice, but they tend to burn hotter as they have more sugars. It'll take a while till you'll get the tastes, and an even longer time till you taste what you smell. Aros are more of a crowd pleaser than a smoker pleaser at first.

 

[grumpybear]

Drying out the tobacco has helped alot. For one I have reduced my relights and my tounge does not feel like sandpaper. Still not getting much flavor but the smoke is cool most of the time and for most of my smoke there is no taste of ash. Not where I want to be but much closer to it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Now try retrohaling.

 

[gkr1]

I no longer go for even lit top layer, that only char the tobacco and ruin the bowl. I can taste the delta!
I like keep the pipe barley lit, I do few gentle tamps here and there. Eventually the bowl burn all the way down.
However, if starting out get a good even layer to begin with.

 

[fitzy]

Welcome to the forums.
Unfortunately most aromatic's don't always have much taste vs the smell.
You should think about exploring the recommendations the smoking dragon gave.
Also I'll give these recommendations:

Frog Morton Cellar

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bulls Eye Flake

 

[amisk]

I'm a relatively new pipe smoker, 7-8 months. I've learned mostly through trial and error along with the sage advice (for the most part) from the good folks on here. I started smoking sail green in a pear root china tongue burner. I started out with 500 relights per bowl and thinking that I may have to get my tongue amputated. I thought that if I got some quality tobacco and briars I would be smoking like a champ. Not so. Funny thing is, I can now take my first pipe and a pouch of sail green and smoke a bowl without getting tongue bite, few relights and I actually enjoy the smoke. It had little to do with what I had to work with and more to do with how I worked with it. I read the forums and watched the videos and finally realized a good smoke is controlled by the pipe smoker, not the equipment. Sure, I smoke decent tobacco in quality briars now, but I only enjoy it because I developed a technique and then I forgot it. I pack looser than I think I should, I tamp lighter than I think I should, I smoke slower than I think I should and when I light my pipe, I light it up good. I made the mistake of not getting a good ember going. I realized that when I watched the videos the guy would say "now you just want to get the top layer burning, you don't want to scorch the tobacco!" Then the guy would fire up his bowl with gusto and you couldn't even see his face for the smoke. So, in conclusion, I wasn't lighting my pipe enough after the char which caused it to go out. Watch videos on the breath method, it leads to great flavour. Mutton Chop Piper on youtube has some good ones. Watch how they smoke, you have to get a good light going then calm it down and settle in.